Hair, Courage & The Deep End

Maya stood at the edge of the pool party, clutching her red Solo cup like it was a lifeline. Her curls were already frizzing in the humidity—three hours of straightening, completely wasted.

"You coming in or what?" Jordan called from the water. Her best friend since seventh grade, now wearing the same bikini as three other girls on the swim team. The friend group had shifted so much since freshman year, like tectonic plates you couldn't see moving until everything was different.

"In a minute!" Maya lied. She'd been saying that for forty minutes.

Her hair was the problem. Always the hair. In middle school, it was "exotic." Now it was just "a lot." She'd considered chopping it all off last week, watching YouTube tutorials with the sound off so her mom wouldn't hear. But then what? Be the girl with the big chop AND the body she wasn't confident enough to show?

"Hey."

She jumped. A guy from her history class—she thought his name was Liam—stood beside her, dripping wet.

"Water's not actually that bad once you're in."

"I know," she said. "I'm just... not feeling it today."

"Bull." He looked at her seriously. "You've been staring at the deep end like it's gonna bite you."

Her face burned. "It's just—"

"The hair thing?" He gestured at his own dripping mop. "I spent twenty minutes styling this morning. Now I look like a drowned rat. Nobody cares."

She laughed despite herself.

"Seriously." He stepped closer. "Your friend Jordan's been asking where you are. Like, actually worried. Not that fake stuff."

Maya looked at Jordan, who was indeed scanning the pool deck, frowning.

"You're gonna jump in eventually," Liam said. "Might as well be on your terms."

He held out his hand.

"What if I sink?" she asked, only half kidding.

"Then I'll pull you up. That's how it works."

She took his hand. Her curls could frizz. Her body could look however it looked. Her friend was waiting, and this random history-class guy was right—some things you just had to do.

She jumped.

The water was cold. It shocked her breath away. Then she surfaced, sputting, and Jordan was there immediately, laughing, and Liam was grinning like he'd just won something.

"See?" he said. "Not so bad."

Maya pushed her wet hair out of her face and smiled. Some things really were that simple.